Chalice Howard - 48
"I believe deeply that as someone who has been given much, I am responsible for extending myself to those in need. I’m the recipient of a lot of generosity, and I need to be generous."
“I was a preschool teacher, and the dad of one of the kids in my class worked in the transplant center at UAB. I started picking his brain, asking, ‘What could I give?’ I bugged him about it for a couple of months until finally he said, ‘I think you need to call this number.’ I called, they brought me in for testing, and said I was a perfect candidate. So, why would I not give?
“I would definitely say I was primarily compelled by my faith. I believe deeply that as someone who has been given much, I am responsible for extending myself to those in need. I’m the recipient of a lot of generosity, and I need to be generous. I want to be generous.
“I knew this calling was from the Lord because I just had total peace. I never felt nervous at all about going through the surgery. I remember waking up at 4:45 for pre-op, and I was all, ‘OK! Let’s go! Let’s do this!’ I just felt really excited. For me, it took a little more than a year to get approved for a number reasons, including getting the time I needed off at work. By the time I had gotten through all of the checkpoints, I was so relieved that I had actually gotten approved. I literally would have been more nervous to get on a plane than to have had this surgery. I definitely have fears, but this just wasn’t one of them.
“It’s been crazy how much I have received from meeting Levon and his family and beginning a friendship that I know will last forever with his family. I feel like the lucky one. When I met Levon, it was surreal. It was humbling because two days after surgery, when we met, I was getting ready to be discharged that day. Levon had weeks of recovery in the hospital ahead of him. He had a much more invasive surgery than I did. I just kept thinking, ‘Man, I’ve gone through something so minimal compared to his 15 years of struggles.’
“Levon's mom is my new best friend. We are sisters for life. She told me within two minutes of meeting me, ‘You’re a part of our family now!’
“When I found out my kidney went to a 16-year-old, it was an awesome feeling. I remember going through the screening process and listening to all of the needs and how so many kids also needed transplants. I remember thinking how cool it would be to match for a kid. And then I found out it was a pediatric patient. How amazing is that to be able to help set reset for a kid who has suffered for 15 years? It feels like someone gave me a million dollars and said, ‘You get to give this to whomever you want.’ I didn’t do anything to earn two healthy kidneys; I just needed to give one away.”